Were 1967 small block hose clamps dated?

[Joe R.]

I have a set of reproduction radiator/heater hose clamps that I bought from Paragon for my 1967 327/300, but I have not yet installed them.

Recently I noticed that Corvette Central offers dated versions of these clamps (such as 1Q67).

Were the original hose clamps dated? Is this a judged item? If so I may decide to return the Paragon clamps and get the ones from Corvette Central.

Any comments on other aspects of how the Paragon and Corvette Central reproductions compare to the originals?

[Mike M.]

Re: Were 1967 small block hose clamps dated?

Yes, the Wittek tower clamps were dated, ie: 1/67 and the
dates are judged.
If you decide to use the "original style" replacements on the showfield, OK but, buy an extra set of worm clamps if you decide to drive the car.
Many Repops won't hold a tight seal.
Good Luck and H. a. N. D.

[Mike M.]

Re: Were 1967 small block hose clamps dated?

Paragon has dated clamps also. Thats where I got mine. Mike

[Joe R.]

Re: Were 1967 small block hose clamps dated?

Thanks, Michael. You give 1/67 as an example, but I note that the Corvette Central reproductions are dated by quarter (e.q., 1Q67). Which style of date is correct for 1967 hose clamps?

[John H.]

Re: Were 1967 small block hose clamps dated?

Original Wittek clamps were dated with a m/yy format - i.e., 1/67.

[Joe R.]

Re: Were 1967 small block hose clamps dated?

Hi John:

I called Paragon and they said they will date clamps on request. The person I spoke with said they only date by quarter, with the format 1-67 for first quarter 67. This leaves me with two followup questions for you:

1) Is Paragon's format of 1-67 okay, or should it be 1/67?

2) Are you certain that the original dates were by month? If so, I could order the "third quarter" date from Paragon, since 3-67 would be about right for my April car. If some judges will interpret the date by quarter, I could play it safe and get the 1-67 date, which would work either way.

[John H.]

Re: Were 1967 small block hose clamps dated?

Joe -

I just went through my collection of original clamps (and repro clamps that failed), and all are stamped with 1 through 4 as the first digit (none higher than 4), so they are apparently dated by quarter, not month. All of them have a slash (/) between the quarter digit and the year digits, not a dash (-).